Sam Bruce ESPN Associate Editor

Houston Rockets star and reigning three-point champion Eric Gordon hit Sydney's ANZ Stadium ahead of the Bledisloe Cup between the All Blacks and Wallabies. He's coming back for the game tomorrow night when he'll be supporting the Wallabies.

Despite adding Chris Paul this offseason, our panel only predicts a modest improvement in win total for the Rockets. But is it enough to leap over a division rival for the No. 2 spot in the conference?

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NBA's best will have the brightest lights

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Not surprisingly, the five teams set to make the most nationally televised appearances next season all made the playoffs and have some of the NBA's top superstars.

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Warriors, come out to play

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The defending NBA champs will be involved in several must-see matchups this upcoming season, including a Finals rematch with the Cavaliers on Christmas.

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January 15 will be the first time Clippers fans get to see Chris Paul since his departure. During his time in LA, Paul led the Clippers to five 50-win seasons, but failed to reach the Conference Finals. The Rockets return to Los Angeles to face the Clippers again on February 28 at 10:30 ET on ESPN.

Stephen A. & Max react to Mitchell Trubisky's NFL debut, debate if Carmelo Anthony would make the Rockets contenders and much more!

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Rockets hoping to shock the West with Melo? (0:57)

Kevin Pelton ESPN Staff Writer

The NBA's two matchups on TNT for opening night October 17 will feature the teams with the top two projections in both conferences via ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM). My RPM projections, published last week, have the Boston Celtics (49.4 expected wins) atop the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers (49.2). Those teams face off at 8 p.m. Eastern, followed by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets at 10:30. The Warriors are projected for a league-high 62.1 wins, trailed by the Rockets at 55.0.

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Christmas Day schedule revealed

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ESPN's annual marathon is once again filled with juicy matchups, including a rematch of the last three NBA Finals, a key Eastern Conference showdown and a battle of last season's top two MVP candidates.

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Rockets want Melo with eye on playoffs (0:57)

Royce Young ESPN Staff Writer

The Thunder open their season hosting the Knicks on Oct. 19 and will take on the Rockets on Christmas in OKC.

The Knicks and Rockets have re-engaged on trade talks involving 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, with the Rockets again canvassing third-team trade partners to construct a deal, league sources told ESPN.